Makgeolli night snack at Jadam Chicken, a Hadong chicken restaurant

Jadam Chicken Hadong Hwagaejangteo (자담치킨 하동화개장터점) is a fried chicken place right near Hwagae Market at 4 Ssanggye-ro, Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam. While wandering around Hwagae Market I picked up some local makgeolli and started thinking about what to pair it with for a late-night snack — turns out Jadam Chicken Hadong Hwagaejangteo was right there, so I ordered chicken to go! Chicken and makgeolli pairing, here we go~~!!~!

Where do you park at Jadam Chicken Hadong Hwagaejangteo?

This Hadong fried chicken favorite has its own dedicated parking lot right in front of the store. Jadam Chicken or Dal-in Kkwabaegi customers can park there. I'd already placed a takeout order in advance, but having parking meant I could park and wait comfortably, which was really convenient.

Jadam Chicken's menu and the chicken-frying robot

There were lots of chicken varieties and other side dishes too. The kimchi fish cake udon looked tasty too...! But Jadam Chicken is most famous for its maepshullaeng (spicy Michelin, a play on words meaning spicy enough to deserve a Michelin star), so I ordered the maepshullaeng boneless chicken along with mozza-gamja as a side! If I hadn't already had dinner, I would've ordered the fried gizzards or dried fish fritters too...

They said a cooking robot fries the chicken at Jadam Chicken Hadong Hwagaejangteo, and sure enough, a robot like the coffee-making robots you see at highway rest stops was frying chicken! Such a strange sight to see... Since it's a robot, it apparently keeps the optimal temperature and timing while frying.

The owner of Jadam Chicken Hadong Hwagaejangteo also runs Dal-in Kkwabaegi (twisted fried dough) next door, so kkwabaegi was available for takeout too. If you're looking for snacks at Hwagae Market, the kkwabaegi is recommended too. Chicken plus kkwabaegi might actually be a pretty solid sweet-and-salty combo?!

Inside seating and the terrace at Jadam Chicken Hadong

Inside the Hwagae Market branch of Jadam Chicken there were about 3 tables, and tables were also set up on the outdoor terrace. These days evenings are getting cool, so eating outside seemed like it would be perfect! Weather like this, with a nice breeze, is exactly right for an outdoor night snack!

Maepshullaeng boneless chicken to go with Hwagae Market makgeolli

We got it to go so we could eat it with makgeolli. The whole drive back to the accommodation, the car smelled amazing and I couldn't wait to dig in... that mouth-watering maepshullaeng smell...

The maepshullaeng chicken came with its signature sauce on the side, plus ketchup. The ketchup is probably meant for dipping the mozza-gamja?! Each piece was pretty big, and there was quite a lot of it. Looking at the photos again now makes my mouth water...

Pouring the makgeolli into wine glasses and setting out the chicken — night snack setup complete

What mozza gamja (cheese potato) tastes like

Mozza-gamja looks like a cheese stick, but tastes like a cheesy potato corn dog! I'm usually not a big fan of cheese sticks or cheese balls, but mozza-gamja has potato bits in the batter and is packed with cheese, with a super chewy texture that I loved sooo much ㅠㅠㅠ. I remembered loving this the last time too, and one bite in, I thought, oh right, I liked this ㅜㅜㅋㅋㅋㅋ

What Maepshullaeng boneless chicken tastes like

The mozza-gamja is good, but the main event, maepshullaeng, is even better ❤️ First off, Jadam Chicken's boneless chicken is made with thigh meat, which is totally my style. Not dry at all — chewy and tender!

Judging by the color alone it doesn't look that spicy, but as you keep eating, the heat sneaks up on you. The sauce has that creamy cheongyang mayo feel, so it's a sharp, clean kind of spicy! Spicy enough that it's not greasy and you don't get tired of it. The finely chopped cheongyang peppers on top are spicy but crunchy, and taste even better eaten together with the fried chicken.

Is Jadam Chicken worth it for a late-night snack near Hwagae Market?

There's plenty of food at Hwagae Market too, but after eating sweet snacks I started craving something spicy and salty, and Jadam Chicken turned out to be a great choice. Among the food options near Hwagae Market, this place stays open late and does takeout, so if you're looking for a late-night snack around Hwagae Market, I highly recommend it! Since it's maepshullaeng, it also pairs really well with sweet makgeolli as a drinking snack~~!